Antifriction-bearing for railroad-cars.



P atentd Dec. I9, I899.

J. E. NURWDOD.

ANTIFRICTION BEARING FOR RAILROAD CARS.

(Application filed Mar, 9, 1899.

(No Model.)

w m n e m U Witnesses.-

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0AM am UNITED STATES PATENT Ormcn.

JOHN E. NORWOOD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE BALTI- MORE BALL BEARING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, OF MARYLAND.

ANTlFRlCTlON-BEARING FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

SPIEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,684, dated December 19, 1899. Application filed March 9,1899. Serial No. 708,311. (No model.)

T whom it y 0077106771! flanges h, and a flat bearing-surface i has po- Be it known that I, JOHN E. NORWOOD, a sition between the said guides. A ball-carcitizen of the United States, residing at Baltirying frame J is mounted in the guide-flanges more, in the State of Maryland, haveinvented 7t and is free to slide therein. This frame J 55 certain new and usefullmprovementsin Antiin the present instance consists of two plates friction-Bearings for Railroad-Oars, of which jj in contact with each other, with circular the following is a specification. holes 70 to receive the balls Z, and said two This invention relates to an improvement plates are secured together by rivetsa to keep in ball-bearings for the bolsters of railroadthe balls separate and retain them in the same 60 cars. relative position with respect to each other.

The object of the invention is to provide an In the construction of the ball-carrying frame improved antifriction ball-bearing that will as shown in Fig. 5 it will be understood that reduce the friction to a minimum when the each plate is first drilled where a ball is to be moving car is rounding acurve and which will used to form a round hole and then the hole 65 require no special preparation of the car-bolis reamed out to form a curved countersink ster or truck. 70. The halls are then seated in the counter- The invention is illustrated in the accomsunk holes of the lower plate and the upper panying drawings, in which plate is then placed on the lower plate, which Figure 1 is aninverted plan view of the carbrings together the largest diameters of said 70 body bolster, showing one end at the right two countersunk holes, converting the ballhand broken off. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of retaining hole into a cage-hole, and the two the truck-bolster, the right-hand end being plates are then riveted together, which leaves broken off. Fig. 3 is a vertical front view of the opposite sides of all the balls protruding the two bolsters, partly in section, and showslightly beyond the upper and lower surfaces, 7 5

2 5 ing the relation of the parts. Fig. 4 shows respectively, of said plates j j, as shown in two views of the ring-traveler bearing. Fig. Fig. 5. It will be seen that when the balls of 5 is a cross-section of the slidingball-carrying this movable frame J are in contact with the plate. Fig. 6 is a modification. upper and lower bearing-plates g and O the Referring to the drawings, A designates the said frame is at such time suspended entirely 8o car-bolster, and B the truck-bolster, which by the balls, which results from the construcare provided with myimproved construction tion of the cage-holes, leaving the upper and of bearings. the lower portions of the balls projecting.

The truck-bolster B carries at each end a The guide-flanges h on the upper bearingbearing-plate O, whichin the presentinstance plates suspend the movable frame J only 85 5 are secured in position by means of screws or when the position of the car-bodyis such that bolts, which pass through projecting ears 0, the balls are not in contact with the said upwhich are integral with said bearing-plates. per and lower bearing-plates. It is to be un- These bearing-plates O are curved or segmentderstood that while I show and describe these shaped with respect to the pivot of the truck. frames J as consisting of two plates each pro- 0 The truck-bolsterB also carries acenter-bearvided with countersunk holes I do not limit ing plate D, which latter is provided at its my invention to that construction, as a sincenter with an upward-projecting ring-flange gle plate may be employed, as shown in Fig.

6, through which latter the king-bolt f passes 6, where the lower edge of the metal is crimped in around the ball.

The ball-carrying frame J is provided at to couple the carbody and truck together. 5 The car-bolsterA on its under side carries at each end a bearing-plate g, which latter either side with guide-grooves m, which lathave position directly over the bearing-plates ter receive the guides h of the bearing-plate. C on the truck-bolster. These bearing-plates The bearing-plates g at one end are each pro- 9 are also curved or segment-shaped with vided with a removable cross-bar g, which 50 respect to the center bearing, and each serves as a stop to prevent the ball-carrying plate is provided at either side with guideframe J from becoming disengaged from the and at the opposite end and beguide-flanges h each bearing-plate with a stop-lug n to prevent the ball-carrying frame J from becoming disengaged from the guides hat that end. Thus it will be seen that the ball-carrying frame J has a sliding movement on the bearingplates between the movable cross-bar g and guides h, neath the g is provided the stops it. It will also be seen that in case it is desired to remove said frame J from the guides it will not be necessary to jack the car up, but simply to remove the small cross-bar g, and the frame J may then be drawn out.

In further carrying out my invention Iprovide the car-bolster A at its center with a bearing-plate 0, provided with a downward-projecting ring-flange p,which latter takes over the upward-projecting ring-flange e on the bearing-plate D, and said two ring-flanges e andp serve to relieve the king-boltfof lateral strain. Another ballcarrying frame Q is provided for the center. This frame is ringshaped and surrounds the ring-flange p and forms the center bearing. This ring-frame in the present instance is constructed substantially in the same manner as the sliding ball-carrying frames J that is, in two plates. In the present instance the ball-retaining plates are designated q q, with the balls projecting above the top and below the bottom through the circular holes or openings 0. The plates in this instance are also secured together by rivets s; but I may mount the balls in circular openings formed in a single plate and then secure each ball ,independently, as shown in Fig.6. It will be seen that the balls of this ring-shaped frame have their upper projecting portions and lower projecting portions always in contact with the respective bearing-plates O and D, and the balls are free to turn in their sockets in all directions, and that the ring-shaped frame Q is suspended entirely by the balls and is free to move concentrically forward or backward as the truck may be turned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an antifriction-bearing for railroadcars the combination of lower bearing-plates mounted on the truck-bolster; upper bearingplates, g, mounted on the car-bolster above said lower bearing-plates and provided with parallel guides, 72; a ball-carrying frame, J, provided at each side with a groove, m, which receive the said guides; a plural number of balls each mounted independently in a cage-hole and free to turn in all directions and when the balls are in contact with said bearing-surfaces the said frame is suspended entirely by the balls substantially as described.

2. An antifriction-bearing for cars having in combination a bearing-plate mounted on the truck-bolster a bearing-plate mounted on the car-bolster; a ball-carrying frame comprising an upper and lower plate in contact with each other and secured together each of said plates being provided with a plural number of circular-shaped holes, the holes of the upper plate and those of the lower plate on their contacting faces being reamed out or countersunk and in register with each other; and balls carried in said reamed'out holes and projecting above and below the said plates and free to turn in all directions,whereby the said frame will be movable and suspended by said balls between the said upper and lower bearing-plates, substantially as described.

3. An an tifriction-bearing for railroad-cars having in combination a bearing-plate, O, mounted on the truck-bolster; abearing-plate, g, mounted on the car-bolster above said bearlug-plate and provided with parallel guides; a ball-carrying frame provided with a plural number of circular-shaped cage-holes; balls carried in said holes and projecting both above and below said frame and adapted to suspend the frame between the said upper and lower bearing-plates when the balls are in contact with the said upper and lower plates; a removable cross-bar, g, at the end of the upper bearing-plate which confines the ball-carrying frame, J, but allows it to be taken out on the removal of the said bar, substantially as described.

4. An antifriction-bearing having in combination two bearing-plates; a ball-carrying frame between said two plates and provided with aplural number of circular-shaped cageholes; balls confined in said cage-holes and projecting on both sides of said frame whereby the projecting parts bear on the said two plates and the ball-carrying frame is suspended. by the balls, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. NORWOOD. Witnesses:

CHARLES B. .MANN, J r., GEO. KOETHER. 

